Scenes of the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, and Mt. Whitney

Last night before sleep I imagine the stunning photos I’m going to take with my new camera.

It’s a Panasonic TZ3 Lumix.  When I take it out of the box, I immediately notice its heft is more than my other crummy cameras. Nice. The shutter click is fast and sharp, whereas my other cameras are a slow and lazy bunch.

Mick, my dear friend whom I’ve never met in person (a minor detail) also included TWO lithium batteries, a really nice case, a battery charger, cords, etc.  Everything like brand-new, right down to the software and manual.  What a wonderful birthday gift!

I’m anxious to try it out. 

This desert is a very difficult place to photograph once the sun is high in the sky.  The Sonoran Desert at least has some color variations to work with.  Here in the Alabama Hills of California the prevailing color is tan, tan, and more tan!  Then there’s Mt. Whitney.  It’s pretty hard to capture all that purple mountain majesty in a photo.  At least for an amateur like me.

But now I can try!

I wake up this morning and see all the interesting comments in response to yesterday’s post about my pet peeve.  Well, I have to jump in!  Most of the morning I read and reply to comments until I look away from the monitor and out the window.  The soft light of the early hours is long gone. Bright light and harsh shadows everywhere.  I can’t wait.  I have to take some photos!

 I’m walking the crew and clicking at everything! 

What fun!  Even down at the laundromat in Lone Pine, it’s here a pic, there a pic, everywhere a pic-pic . . . .   Later I find that the photos have a reddish tint.  I since learned that I had it set on the wrong “mode.”  (I used the photo editor to take the tint away.) I could change the aspect ratio, too.  I have to admit I wasn’t paying much attention to the settings, I was having so much fun!  The BLT is in several of these photos, a tiny white dot.  [slideshow]

Okay, now that you’ve seen the photos, you need to go back and read the post, gall dern it!  You jumped ahead, didn’t you.  And no, there’s no Canine Corner!   I promise . . . tomorrow the crew will be back to upstage me once again!

rvsue

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66 Responses to Scenes of the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, and Mt. Whitney

  1. Mick says:

    I just love photos … thanks RvSue

  2. Cynthia says:

    Sue, I think the Lumix compacts are the best! I have had two of them, and I always recommend them to friends. What a thoughtful birthday gift, one that we all will benefit from!

  3. Chuck says:

    W O W !!!!!! Sue, the pics, pics every where more pics are great !!!! I love this area and hope I can share it with Geri next year.

  4. John says:

    Hi, Sue What a nice birthday gift, and I bet Mick had just as much enjoyment
    giving it as you had receiving it,,, When my mother was alive, and it was my birthday
    I always sent her a birthday card,, To me it was her really her ” birth–day”
    Picture’s are great, and I know the area well,, thanks for the memories, I have not been there in many year’s.. I hope someday again we’ll see…. Safe travel’s Sue

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Hi John,

      Yes, Mick’s the kind of guy who enjoys giving. Am I glad of that! Because I sure do enjoy receiving!

      I like your belief that birthdays are for the mothers. Your mother was very fortunate to have such a thoughtful son.

      Glad you like the pics.

  5. bayfieldbunch says:

    I know & understand your photography excitement well:))

  6. Lisa Mallory says:

    I have been reading your blog for a couple of weeks now, just want to thank you for sharing! I enjoy it very much and I hope to see some of the places you share with us!

  7. bythervr says:

    Hi Sue,
    I’ve never met Mike either (well, my son, Mike, yes…) but anyone that can make ‘our’ Sue this darned excited and happy must be a class act.

    I smiled when I read yesterday’s blog entry. It strikes me that men use strength to accomplish many RV tasks while women seem to do alright just using their brains… You’re so right when you say ‘take charge’ of your RV and don’t be overly timid. If you think you can’t do it, you probably won’t; the reverse is true.

    How is Bridget doing? I hope her progress continues. Hopefully it’s time to throw her cane…errr stroller, away.

    I brought my trailer home on the weekend and it has now been winterized. There were a few snow flurries on Sunday. The desert sounds inviting and your pictures are wonderful.

    All the best,
    Barrie

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      All the best to you, too, Barrie. Nice of you to ask about Bridget. She’s doing well, walking on all fours, slight limp. When she hurries, she pulls up the leg, but usually she puts her weight on it.

      Mick is definitely a “class act.” We’ve been internet friends for a few years now. Although we both went to the same grade school through high school, he’s never met me in person. Which is probably why our friendship has lasted, to tell the truth, ha-ha!

      Time for you to batten down the hatches (whatever that means) . . . .

  8. Pat says:

    I wish I was there!!!!!!!!!!!!! The pics are great. Are you going to take the road to Mt. Whitney? It is beautiful up there and there is a campground. The road has curves and is steep, but it is not narrow. I had no problems in my 22 foot class C. Enjoy 395 and all it has to offer!!!!!!!!!

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      I’ll be posting some photos of the road to Mt. Whitney. I wish I could’ve taken some photos during the stormy days here. The clouds and snow around Mr. Whitney . . . well, now the mountain is like an untrimmed Christmas tree compared to those days.

  9. Hotel California says:

    Pictures are great. Give thanks to friends you have never met in person. Hope Badger is mending well.

  10. Rose says:

    Sue, I so enjoy your blog. Started reading it the first time Tioga George mentioned you and haven’t missed a post since. Loved your blog about pet peeves. Last year, just after we bought our thirty foot fifth wheel my husband lost most of his eyesight due to macular degeneration and the only way to continue camping was for me to learn to pull the camper with our 2-1/2 ton diesel truck,.which I did. We do mostly Corp of Engineer/state campgrounds and so far this summer I have driven over 2000 miles across 4 states with another trip planned for the first of next month and just maybe a trip to the Rio Grande Valley later this winter. Yes, I dump the tanks, recheck any of my husbands hook-ups and/or take downs, and can do it all myself when needed. I am lousy at parking because all these men see us pull in and immediately think they have to ‘help’. So I let them….the younger guys, the 30 to 45 year olds bend over backwards to ‘give the old folks some help’ and it has made the day for more then one of them. When they aren’t around I just go ahead and park it, though sometimes it takes multiple tries! So what??? Not a squirrel, tree nor frog has berated me yet and I only have one small dent in truck cab to teach me what I need to watch for! BTW I’m 74…..

    Rose

    PS I also have a Linux camera and love it. It also takes great videos, with sound.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Your story is a perfect example why it is so important for women to step up and learn the essentials. Thank you, Rose, for taking the time to share it with us. You deserve to be proud. I like the part about letting the younger guys “give the old folks some help” and then when they’re not around, you handle it well by yourself. It’s a pleasure hearing what a person is capable of doing with a can-do attitude. Sounds like you are living a full life on the road! Safe and happy travels for you and your husband . . . and thanks for reading my blog.

  11. Sherry says:

    I hereby announce that I read all the words just like I was supposed to BEFORE I looked at the GREAT pictures. I am not usually such a good girl. What a fabulous campsite. Out there all by yourself. I’m green, it’s true. LOVE that T-shirt!! Big hugs to you 3.

  12. Kim says:

    What scenery! I can see why you really missed your camera.

  13. geogypsy2u says:

    So glad you got a camera for your birthday. I’d feel lost without one. Interesting rocky landscape around you.

  14. Marcia says:

    Beautiful pics Sue! Can’t wait for more. Oh, and Happy Birthday. YOU ROCK!

  15. EmilyO says:

    There is something about the “younger generation” helping the “older generation”. My younger generation neighbor knows I’ll ask for help when I need it; otherwise he leaves me alone. He has a “very independent” view of my generation. I like that.

  16. Teri says:

    Not a comment but a question 🙂 and,well, a statement: admiration and envy from me to you…would LOVE to do what you are doing! As for my question: do you ever feel for your personal safety and if so how do you overcome? (woman to woman)

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Hello, Teri,

      I’ve never feared for my safety since becoming a solo fulltimer. I’m not the type of person who is frightened by what “might” happen, or because it’s dark outside or because I’m alone. If I’m alone in the desert, I’m, well, alone in the desert. What’s to be afraid of?

  17. Love the photos Sue. I didn’t know it was your birthday. Happy Birthday!
    You did a great job with the camera. I am still trying to figure out mine… someday I need to stop and read the book. lol

  18. Sra. Julia says:

    Happy birthday Sue and what great photos !!!
    I think one day I’ll visit that place too. Give the fur kids a hug from me 🙂

  19. Kathryn says:

    Happy Birthday Susan. You are getting really great at photography! I am glad all is well. K

  20. Glenda Cornwill says:

    What an awesome place Sue………..how I would love to be there with my camera…..my Nikon N50 SLR………I would be out there in the early morning and in the late afternoon…………as you know no bright light and harsh shadows. I wonder if you would do me the kindness of taking some shots during those hours. I wish I could share with you some photos I have taken here on our own Flinders Ranges……………mid-north of South Australia………awesome place and a photographers paradise. By the way……….remiss of me to not wish you a very Happy Birthday……..hope you had the happiest of days….how could you not!!!

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Hi Glenda,

      I want to be out taking photos this morning while it’s still early, but the wind is blowing. I promised Mick I would stop taking photos in sand and dust storms! I bet your photos are stunning. Yes, I did have a happy birthday. Thanks for the wish.

  21. Susie says:

    Yea!! Sue has a camera. I love to see the stories your pictures tell.

  22. cozygirl says:

    GORGEOUS!!!! What a surrounding to be in the middle of. I can feel the warm and comfort of the desert right in my living room with such beautiful pictures again. I was wondering now that you are back in the desert, if Bridget isn’t feeling better! Bet the dry warm temps put some spring back in her stride…such hope so.

  23. Mary Ann says:

    The photos with your birthday camera are wonderful and they really reflect your sense of fun. Happy belated birthday!

  24. gingerda says:

    The pictures are great. So glad your friend got you a camera. The rock formations are amazing.
    Sure looks isolated where you are camped.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      It is quite private here, except on the weekends a car might drive up and someone get out asking something like “Is the Gunga Din bridge around here?” People tour around trying to find famous scenes from movies.

  25. azpatriciao says:

    Aaaargh… Sue, how did you know that I was going to scroll down to the photos first?? and the empty Canine Corner You got me on this one LOL
    The photos are great. Strange to see Spike on dry land 😉
    Happy to read in the comments (yes I read those!) that Bridget is getting better.
    Stay safe!
    PS: a question… what are doing the Alabama Hills in California?

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Hello Patricia!

      From the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce:

      “How They Were Named.
      The unusual name Alabama Hills came about during the Civil War. In 1864 Southern sympathizers in Lone Pine discovered gold “in them thar hills.” When they heard that a Confederate cruiser named the Alabama had burned, sunk or captured more than 60 Federal ships in less than two years they named their mining claims after the cruiser to celebrate. Before long the name applied to the whole area.

      Coincidentally, while Southerners were prospecting around Lone Pine, there were Union sympathizers 15 miles north near Independence. And when the Alabama was sunk off the coast of France by the U.S.S. Kearsarge in 1864, the Independence people struck back. They not only named their mining claims “Kearsarge” but a mountain peak, a mountain pass, and a whole town as well.”

  26. Pat Scrabeck says:

    Thank you, Mick, for Sue’s B-Day present!! You are a sweetie. Sure did miss her great photos.

  27. Roger Norris says:

    If you have not already done this, you can drive (without the Casita) up Whitney Portal Road to the base of the mountain. It is beautiful up there (and cold). The switchbacks along the way are the ones used in the movie, “The Long Long Trailer”. Remember the scene when Desi threw all of Lucy’s rocks off the side of the mountain? The road is fine, if you go slow, and if there is not snow.

  28. Ed says:

    Sue,
    Taking my clue from your prior posting I have a pet peeve. You have captioned one of your pictures as the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sierra Nevada is Spanish that translates as ‘snow covered mountains’ so what you have said is snow covered mountains mountains. When using Sierra there is no need to add Mountains.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Ha! Thank you, Ed, for keeping up with my mistakes. I should’ve known better. Another error I think I’ve made somewhere is calling Lone Peak (12,944 ft) by the name of Mt. Whitney (14,407 ft). My error comes from Lone Peak looking so much higher than Mt. Whitney from where we are camped, so I assumed LP was Mt. Whitney.

  29. beckydrew says:

    I have never been a fan of the desert regions…more of a wooded mountain type of gal. Having said that, after seeing all of your photos I look forward to exploring the desert again with new eyes and appreciating the beauty to be found. I also realize now that driving through the desert in the heat of the summer is NOT the best time to appreciate it. Your photos and adventures are drawing me there.

  30. Rita says:

    Happy belated birthday! Sounds like you made out like a bandit…new camera!!! I loved the photos! I’m planning on camping & driving through that area hopefully next year. I’ve camped & done Death Valley in spring when all the wild flowers were in bloom….everywhere over the next rise, miles & valleys of of different colored wild flowers. I hear the Ancient Bristlecone Forest is not far from where you are now and I understand there is a paved road to the visitor’s center….thought you might be interested. The trees are the oldest living trees. I’ve seen pics of them but never seen them. I’d love to hike Mt. Whitney…maybe an easy trail. My daughter & her friends came back from hiking into Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. They posted beautiful pictures of Havasupai & Mooney Falls. I hiked that area in my late 30’s. Have fun with your new camera….we all love the photos.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      I would like to see Death Valley in the spring for the wild flowers so I probably won’t go that way next. My way of hiking Mt. Whitney is to read John Muir (my fave) and call it a day.

      Thanks for the birthday greeting, Rita!

  31. akwoman says:

    Hi Sue! Your words paint pictures for all of us, but we love having your pictures to back them up! (Thanks Mick for giving us all the gift of Sue’s photography!) I’ve explored a bit of the Southwest, but you’ve covered a lot of ground I’ve never seen, so I’m loving the chance to see it through your posts.
    Be safe
    Kristine

  32. I see you found the Alabama Hills! lol It is pure beauty in this area! Have fun!

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